1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to barbecue grills and in particular to a portable barbecue grill that accommodates alternatively a wok cooking utensil and a combination hot plate and grill.
2. Description of the Need and the Prior Art
It is an American tradition to barbecue stakes, chops, hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill over a charcoal fire. More recently, the outdoor cookout around the swimming pool has begun to include other foods including those foods which are best cooked in the utensil called a wok. The Chinese wok involves cooking techniques using a minimum amount of fats and oils. At times vegetables and meats are cooked for a very short time at high heats. The typical stir-fly recipe calls for a cooking time of less then five minutes. Such rapid cooking combined with the use of small quantities of fat provides substantial health benefits because less fat is absorbed in the food compared with traditional Western style frying. In addition, the wok style of cooking tends to seal the flavor into the food, rendering it more appealing to the palate.
The wok is easily cleaned and readily reusable for cooking several items on the same menu. The rounded smooth metal surface may be wiped out or dumped for cleaning with little or no residue.
Although the wok has many culinary advantages because of its shape, it has fundamental instability problem because of its generally hemispherical shape and relatively small surface on which to rest. The wok was originally developed to be placed directly on hollowed-out sections of coals on the ground and/or on rings with a wide base fire built below. The wok does not adapt well to cooking on modern ranges and as a result a number of devices have been suggested as a substitute for the above mentioned hollowed-out section of coals on the ground.
A review of the most relevant prior art relating to this invention is found in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Design Patent No. Des. 302,096 issued Jul. 11, 1989 to Anderson for an adjustable wire rack for holding a wok on a barbecue grill.
U.S. Design Patent No. Des. 317,549 issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Stadelmaier for a camper's wok which is a completely spherical utensil with a frustro-conical base for support.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,341 issued Dec. 13, 1977 to Panzarella for a patio wok stove which is a cylindrically shaped chamber containing a source of energy and a heating chamber, over which the wok is suspended. The stove is capable of high temperature and is relatively insensitive to the wind, which increases the efficiency of the unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,945 issued Mar. 2, 1993 to Hennick discloses a water cooled barbecue grill where the grilling surface is cooled by circulating water from a reservoir. The invention shows a conventional type barbecue stand with a grill over a fire bowl and legs for support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,983 issued May 31, 1994 to Law shows a wok support ring which is intended for use in a commercial setting. A conventional wok cylinder (2) sits over a gas burner (1) with the ring of the invention (3) resting on the top.
Well known existing art and the references cited, either taken alone or in combination fail to anticipate the invention disclose and claimed herein.